Dover Delaware's Strange Fruit

Dover Delaware, 2012

On October 6, 2012 in Dover Delaware this blogger was confronted with claims of a lynching, an attempted lynching and a cover up that were not immediately credible ... Here is my weblog as I struggle to place in some kind of order all the information coming in since then. Although the topics in this blog have grown beyond the original case, still ongoing and unsolved to the minds of many, the focus is the same. Equal protection under the law.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

This blog has been dormant for a while. I did make the cases of Johnny Clark, Charles Conley, and Henry Fordham more widely known. Reaction for the city of Dover has been minimal, but by sheer coincidence the chief of police and mayor have both resigned....

This morning I received the phone call nobody wants to get. Another recent death of a person, and imagine my shock at learning that the family disputes the 'official' version in the strongest terms.

It is with a heavy heart that I bring this blog back to active status. The strange saga of Dover Delaware's Strange Fruit Continues

Again I will be attacked for being a 'traitor to my own people', called a 'ni***r lover', probably get another one or few of those late night phone calls.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Gregory Johnson Jr. was killed at San Jose State University in 2008 in an apparent lynching that is officially a 'suicide'. Now we have received a report of an attempted lynching of a 17 year old student at SJSU, complete with an apparent cover up.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

This is something a little off topic for this blog, to me it speaks to how we treat each other. For five or six years a group of churches has gotten together in Raleigh North Carolina to provide without cost or obligation a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich every Saturday and Sunday to the homeless.

Yesterday the cops showed up and threatened to arrest them if they gave coffee and sandwiches to the homeless. Apparently a heinous offense. Can't describe how angry this makes me. Observe this #BUTTPLUG enjoying his coffee whilst telling the nice church ladies and gentleman how he will arrest them if they extend that same kindness to the homeless. Words honestly fail me.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

I haven't blogged for a while. At times it just gets a bit overwhelming to even think about the level of institutional racism, corruption and white supremacy here in our current Vice Presidents home state.

On Monday July 8, 2013 my friends and colleagues, Dr. Jahi Issa and Mr. EShed Alston tried to attend a public board of trustees meeting at the Kent County SPCA. The meeting is open to the public because the Kent County SPCA has law enforcement powers as well as receiving and disbursing public monies.

They arrived a few minutes late having come from another public meeting. The front door was locked, they tried to enter through a side door . Long story short, two white employees threatened them with a lactating pit bull and abusive language and obscene gestures. Police were called.

Camden Delaware Police Department Corporal Whitney responded after 47 minutes as the employees in question were leaving. Cpl. Whitney refused to take a report of the complaint and yelled at Dr. Issa while reaching for his tazer causing Dr. Issa to fear for his safety. Myself and three other witnesses all agree that Dr. Issa did nothing to warrant this kind of abuse.

The next board meeting of the Kent County SPCA was on August 11, 2013 ( second Monday of every month. For some reason, the town of Camden Delaware deemed it a good idea to have an ill mannered and unprofessional officer present to intimidate members of the public attending the meeting.

Some of us had been illegally banned from the July meeting under threat of arrest for trespassing. The police officer glared at us while we were personally called by name and insulted by Kevin Usilton and a board member known only to me as Ricky. Ricky is a large man, and I hope his parents are no longer with us. '
I would return my son to the factory if he ever disrespected a lady like this punk Ricky did, calling my friend Cathy stupid when she was not allowed to speak. We had to sit there and take the insults along with the threatening glare of the unprofessional cop.

Here is a picture of this cop standing a bit close to my friend Sherene Lindo. The man was playing with a snap on his magazine pouch and looking either down her dress or trying to see what was on her phone. I have fired security guards with more sense. Sherene was the only black person on the property.

The cop pictured here stood with his back to an open door in order to glare at us and crowd Sherene. His parent should be proud, they have apparently raised a class A peckerwood. Good job mom and dad

The rest of this group which mandated police presence? Two teachers, one retired, a dance teacher/executive secretary and a reporter for a local paper.

Yet Kent County Levy Court is posed to give dog control back to this group with the current Executive Director and board. Not having it.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

One of the cases that I have been studying involves what appears to be harassment of a neighbor by another based on skin color/ethnicity. Agents of the Kent County SPCA have been somewhat involved in this matter, one neighbor shot another's neighbor's dog and KCSPCA handled the animal cruelty investigation. The alleged shooter was charged with felony animal cruelty.

Prior to that the dog owner was arrested on charges of dog at large by Kent County SPCA. Said dog owner and activist Cathy Samardza both saying that said dog was never found at large by Kent County SPCA.

Cathy Samardza, Carol Furr, and myself have been served with a letter from KCSPCA informing us that we will be arrested for trespassing if we attempt to attend public board meetings that are subject to open meeting requirements by the Delaware Freedom of Information Act. Not having it.

I have asked Deputy Attorney General Jason Staib for an opinion concerning FOIA compliance. In the meantime the next meeting is July 8, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. @ 32 Shelter Drive, Camden Delaware.

My friend and colleague EShed Alston has indicated that he will attend in my place to take notes and observe the public board of trustees meeting. Here is his blogtalkradio show.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Tuesday May 14, 2013 at 820 N. French Street in Wilmington, fourth floor library of the Professional Employee Relations Board at a hearing for Dr. Jahi Issa v AAUP ( professor's union at Delaware State University).

Dr. Issa has charged the AAUP with not properly representing him when he was arrested, suspended, and fired from his job as an associate professor at Delaware State University.

The AAUP is contesting these charges and the matter is before the Professional Employee Relations Board. Hearing officer Charlie Long presided over yesterday's proceedings.

Mssrs. Goldlust and Keating Esquires represented the AAUP, also at the table was Dr. Steve Newton former president of the AAUP at Delaware State University.

Dr. Issa objected to the status and standing of AAUP attorney Justin Keating. Dr. Issa's correspondence he introduced indicates that Mr. Keating represented him on behalf of the AAUP and was with him when Dr. Issa got a letter of termination on August 17, 2012.

By his own admission Mr. Keating was not admitted to the bar in Delaware and had no standing to practice law. Telling a union member that you are their attorney appears to be practicing law, and regulations are consistent with this position.

Mr. Keating also asked the Professional Employee Relations Board to grant the AAUP an extension for a response to Dr. Issa's complaint admitting that he was not licensed to practice in Delaware and at the same time stating that he was doing so by representing the AAUP.

Accordingly complaints have been made to the appropriate authorities. Because of the pending complaints, it would appear to be a rules violation for the law firm that AAUP attorney Mr. Goldlust belongs to to grant Mr. Keating pro hoc status.

So most of this hearing was Dr. Issa objecting to the status and standing of Mr. Keating to represent AAUP, and Dr. Issa demanding a default judgement according to published PERB rules because the respondent did not file a timely response.

Ironically the AAUP is claiming that Dr. Issa did not file a timely response. Dr. Issa isn't concerned with this allegation and is confident that he can supply evidence and case law to refute this point.

Perhaps the most interesting outcome yesterday was Dr. Issa filing a motion to restrict white-skinned privilege. It was provocative but accurate. Initially I had advised against this motion but given the obvious bias of PERB to the AAUP it was appropriate.

Ironically Dr. Issa was assisted by Mr. EShed Alston a licensed legal professional and paralegal. Mr. Alston has been cited and fined for practicing law in Delaware without a license. Perhaps if Mr. Alston was a white skinned person like Justice Keating and not an African American he could have gotten away with it?

At the end of the day hearing officer Charlie Long for PERB decided that the issue of whether or not rules had been broken by AAUP and PERB in allowing Mr. Keating to represent AAUP without being a licensed attorney and granting him an extension instead of giving Dr. Issa his default judgement doesn't materially affect Dr. Issa's case.

Say again? If rules and procedures had been followed Dr. Issa would have prevailed already, so how does allowing Mr. Keating status and standing contrary to established rules not affect Dr. Issa's case? It should be over right now and resolved in Dr. Issa's favor.

Interestingly enough on the Delaware Politics post I wrote supporting Dr. Issa there was an anonymous person commenting that seemed hell bent on casting Dr. Issa in a false light, suggesting that Dr. Issa should have been hauled off by the police for his views, and apparently having all kinds of inside information.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

I'm sitting in the courtroom, listening to a case review of Delaware v Issa. This is to determine if there are any more issues to be dealt with before the state proceeds with false charges against Dr. Jahi Issa, arrested while leading his students outside the Martin Luther King Student Center intending to attend a public board meeting.

Dr. Issa was accosted, manhandled, and ultimately arrested ( after being hospitalized ) by DSU campus police. The Chief himself was the chief attacker. For those just tuning in, the allegation by Cheif Downes is that he only touched Dr. Issa on the shoulder in a calming manner whereupon Dr. Issa spat profanity and struck him in the chest with an elbow blow. Hence 'offensive touching' charges.

Dr. Issa then 'pulled away' and fell to the ground, hence resisting arrest. In fact EMS was summoned, found Dr. Issa's blood pressure dangerously elevated and had him admitted to the hospital. I guess trying to stay alive is resisting arrest.

In any case here's the video which clearly shows that Chief Downes did touch Dr. Issa in an offensive manner, he did touch him other than in a 'calming manner' and Dr. Issa didn't hit or shove anyone.

Perhaps the most chilling part of the case review was when Judge Welch said that the equestrian protest of 2010 couldn't really supply evidence of disparate treatment because the equestrian team was ordered to disperse and did so.

A couple of points. Let's take the Judge at his word ( bad idea, but play along ). Dr. Issa never had the opportunity to comply with such an order, none was ever given. The police simply grabbed him and hauled him off. He wasn't doing anything to warrant that and the police admitted they had no probable cause to detain him when they put their hands on him.

Number two, the state is insisting that there are no records of the equestrian protest so how does the Judge know this? If I followed correctly DSU's general counsel told him. Said counsel wasn't at the equestrian protest either so second hand heresay at best, from the bench. In fact Dr. Issa and other witnesses who were present at the 2010 equestrian protest will testify that no such dispersal ever occured.

It was a good day to be white, unfortunately for him Dr. Issa isn't.

Then to put a cherry on top, Delaware Family Services basically kidnapped Dr. Issa's nine year old son and tried to bring more false charges against him. Fortunately Dr. Issa's wife was able to intervene and get her son to a doctor who found that the boy was un-injured. Otherwise the state was trying to go after Dr. Issa for child abuse.

A school nurse filed a false report saying that the young boy had blood in his ear canal, bruising on his throat consistent with being strangled, and bruised swollen ribs from being beaten. Somehow interrogating the boy in a room full of strangers the state thought they had enough to go after Mrs. Issa and get her to sign documents. Bad guess.

The boy's family doctor examined him that very day without finding any signs of injury. So now that's another matter that must be dealt with. A school nurse that falsifies reports is not a joke, Dr. Issa will file the paperwork because he is a parent and doesn't want this to happen to other parents.

Which brings me to the point of this post. Dr. Issa is fighting for his rights, the rights of others, and at this point his very survival. While undocumented immigrants can count on our social safety net, Dr. Issa's family is being denied food stamps and medical care he needs to keep them whole while he fights the charges against him.

Right now, Dr. Issa needs one thousand dollars to purchase court transcripts of his criminal trial. The state won't let him file in forma pauperis because he has an attorney ( who hasn't been paid in a while ) even though he has been made indigent by the entity charging him, namely the state.

Without the transcripts whatever the judge or state prosecutor 'recalls' from earlier proceedings will stand, so these transcripts are vital for his defense.

Please join your humble respondent in donating to Dr. Issa's legal defense fund. This is serious, I know times are tight and there are plenty of worthy causes. Helping a man who's fighting for the first amendment, education, against lynchings, and who never refuses to help others is one of them.

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Doug Beatty

About this blogger:

Doug Beatty is a political activist living in Central Delaware. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and happens to be the oldest son of Actor Ned Beatty. Earlier this year Beatty left the democratic party and joined the Independent Party of Delaware, and ran for 34th district representative in Delaware's Legislature.

Doug's background includes electronics training, Security and Law enforcement work, and several years as an internet applications engineer. Beatty moved to Delaware in 2001 and has fallen in love with the people and places, not so much with the politics.